Pricing The Heart

Chapter 23

Friendship, Eloise mentally reminded herself every evening, when David would take her in his arms and kiss her. Theirs was to remain a platonic relationship, highlighted occasionally by more than a few stolen kisses. Feelings were to be restricted, love forbidden—she was to keep her heart sheltered within the reality of this truth.

Armed with this knowledge, Eloise fought to keep her mind from wandering to David while she went about her business in the course each day, and every evening, when she snuck out into the garden to be with him, she fought to maintain a firm grip on her emotions; to keep from being consumed by the passion that rippled through her veins at the mere touch of his fingers, and to keep herself from drowning in the beauty of his gray eyes every time he looked at her.

There were nights the two sat talking. Eloise found it easy—therapeutic even—to speak to David about her past. She told him everything, from the pleasant memories of growing up with loving parents to the dreadful memories of a cruel uncle and an abusive husband. When she realized how negatively it affected David to hear of her uncle and James, she stopped speaking of them and focused her tales more on her parents. There were also nights they sat saying nothing; those were the nights Eloise loved the most. On those nights, she would sit listening to the silence, savoring his presence. She enjoyed the intimacy of those nights and, at the end of them, when they were forced apart by propriety, she enjoyed the prolonged nature of his goodnight kisses.

The evening before had been one of those nights. They had sat on the bench before the fountain—a bench Eloise now believed belonged to them alone—saying nothing. Amid the silence, David had reached for her hand and held onto it until the end of the evening.

Her fingers still burning from the sensation of his touch, she glided them across the keys of the pianoforte as she sat teaching Adam to play.

"This is too difficult, Mrs Taylor!" Adam wrinkled his nose, frustration marring his face as he folded his arms.

Eloise stopped playing and turned fully to him. "It shall remain so if you give up now," she said, offering him an encouraging smile.

Desperate to keep her mind and emotions from wandering to David, she had begun teaching Adam to play the pianoforte to while away the afternoons. But two fruitless weeks of trying pointed to one thing; Eloise was a terrible music teacher. Adam needed a professional if he was ever going to learn, she thought, making a mental note to raise the subject with David at their meeting tonight.

Her cheeks warmed at the thought of being with David again. Afraid Adam might notice her flushed state, she cleared her throat. "Patience is important for learning. You must be patient and gentle with yourself."

"What if I never learn?"

"I'm confident you shall. You've already learned so much in such a short time. You handle a horse perfectly, and you've learned to be a polite, considerate helper; music shall be no exception."

"What if it is? I'm not getting any better."

Leaning down slightly, she patted his hair. "Do you truly wish to learn?" she asked, worried she was imposing her will on him without the slightest consideration of his feelings.

Adam nodded. "Yes."

She smiled. "Then you shall," she said, before turning her attention back to the keys.

She sat teaching Adam for several minutes, so lost in her lessons that she failed to notice the presence of a third party until he spoke.

"All in a garden green."

Hitching a breath, she jerked upright and turned to the door. David stood there, his gaze fixed on her. His presence surprised her, for although they met secretly every evening, she barely ever saw him in the daytime. He always appeared to be absent from the house, and the few times she had bumped into him in the halls, he had been cordial, choosing to either offer her a curt nod or simply ignore her completely. He appeared unwilling to associate with her in public, and while his behavior hurt her greatly, she didn't dare complain. It was not her place to demand his attention, nor could she demand his open affection. He had made it clear he was willing to offer nothing more than friendship, and to complain would be to express a dissatisfaction and a need for more...

Oh, but she needed more. Forbidden, yet, she could neither deny nor ignore the pull she felt when she was around him.

"My mother used to love that song." His words dragged her back to the present and to her wobbly feet. She curtsied.

"My lord."

David released his grip on the doorknob and crossed the room to where she stood. "Please, Mrs Taylor," he said, and she desired greatly to hear him call her by her real name like he did every time they were alone. "Sit."

Nodding, she reclaimed her spot on the bench next to Adam, who appeared unbothered by his father's presence as he pretended to busy himself with the keys.

"When she wasn't receiving callers, my mother spent most of her time here."

It didn't surprise her to learn of this fact, for the room was designed to appeal to a woman. The part of the wall that wasn't lined with bookshelves boasted of a colorful display of floral wallpapers, and the single pink couch by the fireplace matched the curtains.

"Forgive me. I didn't mean to intrude on such a sentimental space."

He shook his head, a small smile tugging on his lips; reminding Eloise of how sweetly they tasted.

"On the contrary, Mrs Taylor." He circled the pianoforte and came to stand beside her, causing her body to warm slightly. She clasped her hands on her knees, silently willing her heart to cease its rapid pounding. "You play excellently."

Her cheeks caught fire at his compliment. "Thank you, my lord, for your kind words. I'm trying to teach Adam to play as well, but I'm doing poorly."

"Oh." He frowned, his gaze still fixed on the pianoforte.

"Perhaps you shall consider teaching him." She rose to her feet and motioned to the bench.

"I do not wish—" Adam protested, but Eloise placed a stilling hand on his shoulder, silencing him.

"I'm certain my lord shall do a better job." She held David's gaze as she spoke, silently praying he would concede to her request. It was no secret that David's relationship with Adam was strained, perhaps even nonexistent, and that the two were divided by an invisible force. It saddened Eloise to think that in David's determination to keep love out of his life, he had managed to shut his own son out, and as a result, Adam, starved of his father's affection, had also become burdened by rage. She hoped music might bring the two together.

"Perhaps," David murmured, breaking the ice of silence. He stepped forward, and a small smile immediately claimed her lips as he took her place on the bench.

Stepping back, Eloise watched him play. He was the most skillful pianist she'd ever met, and even more than that, he was a wonderful teacher, succeeding in one hour to teach Adam what she had failed to teach in two weeks. He was gentle and attentive in his teaching, correcting Adam with the greatest of care every time the need arose, and affirming his successes with words of praise. She watched the tension in Adam's shoulders ease away with every second that ticked by, and by the time his lessons ended, he was grinning from ear to ear at his achievement.

"We must stop here. It is time for luncheon." David rose to his feet and turned to her.

Rising from the couch she had retired to for the past hour, she nodded.

"I shall see to Adam's needs." She held out her hand to Adam, who hurried over to her side and took it. Crossing the room, she paused by David's side and bowed slightly. "Thank you, my lord, for your time."

He watched her, his gaze darkening with a look she recognized quite well—the same look that overcame his features every evening when he took her in his arms and kissed her. Her cheeks warmed at the thought, for she too desired greatly to be in his arms and to partake of the sweetness of his lips.

She stood staring at him, wondering if he might succumb to his need to kiss her—silently praying he would. But he didn't. He instead tucked his hands in his pockets and offered her a small nod.

"You are dismissed, Mrs Taylor," he murmured, motioning to the door.

Swallowing her disappointment, Eloise turned from him.

*

Hey guys! I've been busy lately. Extremely, and eventually, I'll let you guys in on what it is that's taking all of my time, but until then, please vote on this chapter if you liked it. Thank you for reading!❤️